A massive change in SEO occurred, forcing brands to earn rankings through quality, user-focused content or face penalties in search.
Major updates from Google enforced stricter regulations on keywords, content quality, and over-optimization. This significantly impacted how results were indexed. Brands who did not comply with new regulations, like J.C. Penney and Overstock, had their names dragged through the streets to set an example.
Along with new regulations came new search features that targeted the growing expansion of curiosity, accessibility, and social connections among users. New features like Google’s Knowledge Graph rolled out to include panels in search engine results pages (SERPs) that offer immediate answers without the need for users to dig through content.
